Knight in Shining Armor
by Sumi Arana
Summary: Resident Evil: Code Veronica. spoilers He was her knight in shining armor.... Oneshot drabble. Angst.
1. Knight in Shining Armor

Disclaimer: Resident Evil doesn't belong to me. Claire and Steve belong to Capcom.

Author's notes: Trying to kill some time and keep the people who don't have Darkside Chronicles yet entertained! Please enjoy! That'd be spoilers for Resident Evil Code: Veronica and Darkside Chronicles (maybe.) Based off of the scene at the end of RECV(x.) Really short one shot drabble. Enjoy! Reviews would be fantastic.

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"Oh, Steve...."

He had to hurt. I'd dealt with death so often in the last three months – Raccoon City and now this. I'd put so many zombies down that a situation like this – losing somebody I loved - had never even crossed my mind.

He was fighting. Fighting to stay awake. His breath was coming in ragged gasps. There was no sound in the cavernous room except for the sound of his pained breaths. He was shaking all over. His hands were quivering so hard he could hardly hold mine.

He took my hand, cupping it gently against his own face. His eyes were closed. A forced smile curved his lips. My hand made contact with his face and his pain seemed to ease. He nuzzled against my hand like a child. My palm fit so perfectly against his cheek.

"You're...warm." He said, voice hardly above a whisper. The words felt like another blow from one of Alexia's tentacles. It hurt. Hurt my heart, made it feel like it was going to burst out of my chest.

"Steve, You've got to hang in there. My brother's come to save us. We're gonna get out of here."

I knew what was going to happen. I tried to tell myself that he'd be okay. That he'd pull through this. We'd all go home, and he'd come to college with me. Chris would continue fighting Umbrella elsewhere, and he'd leave me behind with Steve. But I knew...

"Your brother kept his promise." There was another deep, shuddering breath. A quick glance downward and I could see deep bruises forming along his pallid chest. His ribs were broken. "I'm sorry I can't." His eyes were open now. Blue eyes fixated on my own. His grip was weakening. His skin was starting to become cold and clammy to the touch. The color was completely gone from his face.

"W-what? What are you saying?"

Another pained breath from the boy. It physically _hurt _me to watch him be in that much pain. His eyes were half-closed now. He didn't have the strength to keep them open anymore. I watched the energy drain out of him as the seconds ticked away. Tick tick tick. He was getting worse before my eyes... another three seconds that took him further away from me.

"I'm glad... that I met you." His smile widened. "I .... I-I...I love you, Claire." There was a soft exhale. His last breath wasn't as pained as his earlier ones.

"Steve?" Calm at first. Calmer than it should have been as my eyes were locked onto his corpse. I... could call him back to me. "S..Steve?" My throat was tight, tears springing to my eyes and my stomach felt as though it had been dipped in hot lead as the panic set in. "Steve!"

He wasn't breathing anymore. It _hurt. I hurt._ My heart ached, my lungs were so tight that it was hard to breathe. I felt like I was going to be sick.

He never even had the chance to stop running or to stop being afraid before it was all over.


	2. Her Knight

Disclaimer: Resident Evil still doesn't belong to me.

Author's notes: I know this was supposed to be a one shot, but now it's a two-shot. This contains spoilers for both Code Veronica and Darkside Chronicles (only if you haven't played Code Veronica.) Angst. Please read and review. Enjoy!

Steve's Point of View.

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It hurt. Damn, everything _hurt. _All over, my body ached. I had felt my ribs crack when Alexia threw me against the wall. It was a hot, strange feeling. Like someone had injected my torso with molten lava. It was such a contrasting feeling to the freezing cold in the Colosseum of the Antarctic Facility. My lungs were tight and it was hard to breathe. Very single breath sent a searing pain through my body.

I was cold. Colder than I had been outside in the snow and wind, or colder than I was in the airplane cabin on the way over and colder than it had been in my cell back at Rockfort.

I was dying. I knew I was dying. But... for some reason, I wasn't scared. I protected her, even if it meant this in the process.

She knelt beside me, those beautiful blue eyes filled with tears, desperation and concern. She took my hand, gentle, delicate fingers curling against mine. I smiled, forced through the pain, but genuine all the same.

I took her hand, cupping it against my face. So warm, and comforting. Sweet relief, just from her touch. The pain seemed to melt away that moment that her skin touched mine.

"You're...warm." I whispered. I couldn't bring myself to make my voice any louder. It hurt too much.

There was silence, and it took me a moment to realize that the raspy breath echoing off of the walls of the empty room. It was harder to breathe than I realized. The pain was making everything hazy and I was finding it hard to concentrate. My vision kept going in and out, I couldn't focus on Claire.

"Steve, you've got to hang in there. My brother's come to save us. We're gonna get out of here." She sounded so hopeful. I knew she knew that I wasn't going to make it...

Back on the plane, on the long, silent ride here, I'd entertained fantasies of being with her. Escaping from the island, going back to Highschool (My Father had pulled his stupid stunt with Umbrella in my senior year. My senior year, the year that most guys get laid, go to parties, get drunk... but I was stuck in a goddamn prison cell thanks to my Father's stupidity.) and then heading off to college with Claire. Maybe share a room, or get an apartment... or how wonderful it would've been to go to Hawaii for a nice, long vacation on the beach instead of dying in this hellhole...

I couldn't keep my promise. I couldn't be there any longer to protect her.

"Your brother kept his promise." A hard swallow. It ached. I could taste blood. "I'm sorry I can't."

I watched as tears formed in the corners of those beautiful blue eyes. This was hurting her as nearly much as it was hurting me. I could tell by the look in her eyes, the way she desperately clung to my hand, as if she was afraid to let go. I was thankful for it, at least. I couldn't hold onto her hand anymore, I was shaking too hard.

I was tired. Too damn tired. My eyelids were heavy, and I had to fight to keep them open. Fight to be able to look at Claire one last time before...

"W-what are you saying?" She was scared. She didn't want to hear it. So I wasn't going to tell her. She wanted to believe I'd make it, and I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to ease her pain like she was easing mine.

I took a deep breath, feeling the pain spread through my torso. It throbbed. I tasted more coppery blood. It was making me sick. Another deep breath and I realized the pain was starting to fade. Unfortunately, the cold was getting worse. The pain dissipating coupled with the numbing cold meant only one thing...

"I'm glad... that I met you." My smile widened, eyes locked onto hers. "I....I-I ...I love you, Claire." A final exhale, gentle and soft.

And it was over.


End file.
